Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Sausage

There are hundreds of recipes for pasta with a variety of cooked vegetables making up a crude sauce. One favorite features small shell pasta, or conchiglie, with broccoli and sausage. Roasted peppers play a big role, as well.

This recipe for pasta with broccoli and sausage is relatively simple, and very quick to make. It shouldn’t take much more than about 30 minutes from start to table. It’s simple ingredients, and quick cooking time, make it a perfect weeknight meal. You can use your own roasted red peppers, or canned.

For more variation, you can substitute sun-dried tomatoes for the red peppers, or broccoli rabe for the broccoli.

Pecorino Romano is the cheese of choice for this dish. You can substitute Parmesan if Romano is unavailable. This sauce works best with shapes that will grab onto the bits of vegetables and sausage. Small shells are readily available at my grocery store, but other small pasta shapes, such as penne or orecchiette, will do nicely.

Equipment needed
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Garlic press (optional)
Rasp grater or microplane
Measuring cups and spoons
Dutch oven or large sauce pot
Skillet
Large spoon
Colander or mesh strainer

Ingredients
4 ounces Italian sausage
1 cup roasted red peppers
6 medium garlic cloves
1 bunch broccoli, about 1-1/2 pounds
2 ounces Romano cheese (about 1 cup, grated)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 pound small shell pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for the skillet
1 tablespoon salt, for the pasta water

Directions
Squeeze the meat out of the casings and discard the casings. Rinse the roasted peppers and cut into thin strips. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the florets off the broccoli head. Slice the larger florets into 1 inch pieces by slicing through the stems. Trim the bottom of the large stalks and peel the outer layer. (Peeling the outer layer removes the bitter parts of the broccoli stalk.) Cut the peeled stalks into 1/4-inch thick pieces Grate the Romano cheese with the rasp grater or microplane. You should have about 1 cup of cheese after grating.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. While it's coming to a boil, you can work on making the sauce.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage in the skillet, breaking it into small pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the roasted red peppers and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the broccoli, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 cup water. Cover, and cook until the broccoli begins to turn bright green, about 2-4 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and the broccoli is tender, about 5 - 7 minutes more.

When the water in the dutch oven begins to boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta shells. Cover and simmer until the pasta is almost tender, but still a little firm (al dente), about ten minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta shells in a colander and return to the pot. Stir in the broccoli and sausage mixture, grated Romano cheese and 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Add reserved pasta water to "loosen the sauce" if needed. Add more salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Makes 6 servings.

Black Bean Salad

Black bean salad is a great side dish for tacos, enchiladas, or any Mexican entree. It has a bright flavor and is very easy to make. It’s quick, too. It shouldn’t take you much more than ten minutes to put together. You can prepare it up to a day in advance, if you’d like, giving the flavors time to develop.

It’s no secret that I don’t like avocados so, I didn’t include any. If you like them, however, you can add 2 chopped avocados. Don’t add them until just before you’re ready to serve, though. Otherwise they’ll get too mushy and ruin the salad.

If using fresh corn, you’ll need about 3 to 4 cobs. If using frozen corn, thaw and drain before adding.

Equipment needed
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Large spoon
Paring knife
Fine-mesh strainer
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Skillet
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes
2 cans (16 oz.) black beans
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 Tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

For the Dressing
4 green onions
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (canned)
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions
Trim the roots and remove any dried outer parts of the green onion. Slice thinly and set aside.

Remove the chipotle chili from the adobo sauce. Cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the pack of your paring knife and mince. You’ll need about 1 Tbsp of minced chipotle. If you like it very spicy, leave in the seeds.

Core the tomatoes with a paring knife and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Rinse and drain the canned beans in a fine-mesh strainer.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the corn, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Mix the green onion, chipotle, honey, lime juice, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the beans, tomatoes, parsley and toasted corn. Toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Cream of Pea Soup

I have always liked peas. I’ve eaten plenty of split pea soup in my life, too, but I wasn’t in the mood for something heavy in the middle of summer. Finding this recipe for cream of pea soup seemed like it might be just the right solution for a light summer meal.

What I don’t like about most cream soups is they taste mostly like cream. It’s like the vegetables were there just to make your mother, or nutritionist, happy. I wanted more robust vegetable flavor. According to America’s Test Kitchen, processing the raw veggies before adding them to the soup helps add flavor and reduce cooking time. Certainly the flavors in this cream of pea soup recipe were brighter and fresher than I expected.

I had a problem, though. My food processor broke down and I’ve not replaced it. I tried using my blender instead, chopping up the peas in batches, but the results were less than desirable. Most of the peas broke up, but I suspect I would have gotten smoother results if I’d used a food processor. Cleaning the blender wasn’t any fun, either

This recipe uses frozen peas, but you can substitute equal amounts of other fresh or frozen vegetables. Broccoli, asparagus, or carrots also make delicious cream soups. You could even try combining them. If you use fresh veggies, I recommend blanching them before chopping them.

Equipment Needed
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Food processor
Measuring cups and spoons
Large cooking pot or Dutch Oven
Large spoon
Rubber spatula
Blender or Hand Blender

Ingredients
1 yellow onion
1 1/2 pounds frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbl butter
Salt as needed
2 Tbl all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Ground black pepper
Chopped parsley or chives to garnish

Directions
Peel and mince the onion into very small pieces and set aside. Place the peas in a food processor and pulse until chopped fine.

Melt the butter in a large cooking pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute more. This removes the “raw” flavor of flour.

Slowly stir in the chicken broth, scraping any browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peas and simmer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Puree in batches in batches a food processor or blender. Alternately, you can use a hand blender.

Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Bring the soup to a brief simmer, then remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.

Makes 6 main dish or 8 side dish servings.

I like eating cream soups with crusty bread and butter. It makes an excellent light lunch or dinner.


For a vegetarian version of this soup, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.